Attachment and culture - Security in the United States and Japan

Attachment theorists maintain that cultural differences are relatively mino r, and they focus on universals. Here the authors highlight evidence of cul tural variations and note ways in which attachment theory is laden with Wes tern values and meaning. Comparisons of the United States and Japan highlig ht the cultural relativity of 3 core hypotheses of attachment theory: that caregiver sensitivity leads to secure attachment, that secure attachment le ads to later social competence, and that children who are securely attached use the primary caregiver as a secure base for exploring the external worl d. Attachment theorists use measures of sensitivity, competence, and secure base that are biased reward Western ways of thinking: The measures emphasi ze the child's autonomy, individuation, and exploration. In Japan, sensitiv ity, competence, and secure base are viewed very differently, calling into question the universality of fundamental tenets of attachment theory. The a uthors call for an indigenous approach to the psychology of attachment.